If convicted, a man will be the first in Douglas County to go to prison for looking up a woman’s skirt.

If convicted, a man will be the first in Douglas County to go to prison for looking up a woman’s skirt.

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Updated: 5:53 PM CDT Jul 2, 2014

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WEBVTT PROTECTING THE PUBLIC AND THEIR PRIVACY... THAT'S THE MOTIVE BEHIND A NEW LAW AGAINST TAKING PHOTOS UNDER WOMEN'S SKIRTS AND DRESSES. GOOD EVENING I'M ADRIAN WHITSETT. AND I'M MELISSA FRY. IT'S CALLED THE UPSKIRTING BILL. AND ONE OF THE STATE'S FIRST CASES..IS RIGHT HERE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY. K-E-T-V NEWSWATCH SEVEN'S CHINH DOAN IS LIVE WITH THIS STORY YOU'LL SEE ONLY ON SEVEN. BEFORE THIS BILL BECAME LAW ON APRIL 10TH... THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC CHARGE FOR "UPSKIRTING," MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR PROSECUTORS. THEY COULD ONLY CHARGE PEOPLE WITH "UNLAWFUL INTRUSION" IF IT WAS IN A PRIVATE SETTING... NOT A PUBLIC PLACE LIKE THE LOBBY OF FIRST NATIONAL TOWER HERE. SO HAD THE NEW STATE LAW NOT EXISTED YET... WHAT HAPPENED HERE LAST MONTH, COULD KEEP HAPPENING. TOWER...PROSECUTORS SAY A MAN STOOPED LOW. WEDNESDAY A CHARGE WAS FILED AGAINST TERRY BANKS OF OMAHA FOR THE COUNTY'S FIRST "UPSKIRTING" CASE IN A PUBLIC PLACE.(DAVID SMALHEISER: he used his cell phone to record up this woman's skirt) IT ALLEGEDLY HAPPENED ON JUNE SECOND WHILE AN EMPLOYEE AT FIRST NATIONAL BANK WAS IN LINE FOR COFFEE IN THE LOBBY. THE WOMAN DIDN'T NOTICE.. BUT SOMEONE NEARBY SAW AND OUT FOR THIS ALLEDGED CREEP. (DAVID SMALHEISER: he returns to the same scene of the crime two days later he had been identified by security at the location they went to confront him about his activities and he ran away) OMAHA CITY PROSECUTOR DAVID SMALHEISER SAYS SECURITY CAUGHT BANKS TWO BLOCKS AWAY.. AND FOUND HIS PHONE IN A NEARBY TRASH CAN. IN IT... MORE THAN 550 PHOTOS AND VIDEOS UP WOMEN'S SKIRTS. BANKS TOLD POLICE HE DOWNLOADED THEM FROM THREE WEBSITES... BUT PROSECUTORS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHER VICTIMS, OTHER CASES.(DAVID SMALHEISER: I think that behavior happened before him its going to happen after him) UNTIL APRIL OF THIS YEAR... STATE LAW ONLY PROTECTED PEOPLE IN PRIVATE SETTINGS, (STATE SEN AMANDA MCGILL: now its so easy to distribute those pictures online and for the whole world to see) STATE SENATOR AMANDA MCGILL, WHO SPONSORED THIS BILL...SAYS IT'S ABOUT TIME THE LAW KEPT UP WITH TECHNOLOGY... TO PROTECT YOU.( STATE SEN AMANDA MCGILL: having a picture of yourself as a woman put online for the world to see is devastating) THIS NEW STATE LAW ALSO ENHANCED THE CRIME TO A CLASS 1 MISDEMEANOR, WHICH IS PENALIZED BY UP TO ONE YEAR IN JAIL AND A THOUSAND DOLLAR PRIVACY" INVOLVING MINORS IS NOW A FELONY. CHINH, HOW MANY OTHER STATES HAVE THIS KIND OF LAW? SENATOR MCGILL TELLS ME ABOUT A DOZEN OTHER STATES CURRENTLY HAVE A LAW LIKE THIS ... SO WE'RE ACTUALLY AT THE FOREFRONT. MELISSA? THANKS CHINH

Man accused of taking pictures up woman's skirt

If convicted, a man will be the first in Douglas County to go to prison for looking up a woman’s skirt.